1859 P50C Half Dollar, Judd-240, Pollock-296, R.5, PR65 Brown
NGC.
Design. Referred to as Longacre's "French Liberty Head" design.
A Romanesque bust of Liberty faces right, with a crown of
intertwined oak and vine leaves. Around her neck is a scroll
inscribed with the word LIBERTY. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA fills the
peripheral fields with the date below. An ornate wreath of cotton,
tobacco, sugar cane, corn, wheat, and oak leaves dominates the
reverse, with 1/2 DOLLAR enclosed in two lines. Struck in copper
with a reeded edge.
Commentary. As noted on USPatterns.com, pattern specialist Saul
Teichman "has always questioned whether [the French head] was
designed by Longacre or Paquet as the 1859 half dollar patterns
used Paquet's punches in the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA."
Credit for the design will likely remain a matter of opinion.
Physical Description. Deep brown surfaces reveal blue-green and
rose hues when viewed at an angle under light. Slight surface
roughness suggests that this piece was restruck from rusted dies no
later than the 1870s. NGC Census: NGC has certified four
examples at the Gem level with four finer pieces, all color
designations considered. PCGS Population: 1 in PR65 Brown, 6
with the same grade and differing color designations (12/08).
Provenance.Ex: Stack's private treaty transaction.From The Lemus Collection, Queller Family Collection Part
Two. (PCGS# 11975)